Vol 52 No 1 ISSN 1479-0882 January / February 2018
The Alnwick (Northumberland) which is to have a £2.5m revamp; photo taken March 2016
ABC & Gaumont Circuit history books available again – see Publications
The three-screen [ex / ] which closed in mid-December; photo taken August 2004
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In this Bulletin, Hugh Sykes gives us the latest instalment of his‘wanderings’, this time around the north of Scotland and Orkney insummer 2017. In a strange coincidence, we had travelled many partsof his route only a few weeks earlier. We too had done the tour of theCastle of Mey, the late Queen Mother’s residence and noted that inher ‘snug’ she had a small TV and DVD player with box sets of KeepingUp Appearances, Dad’s Army and many similar. We wondered if theyhad been ‘planted’. I also noted that, although Thurso and Wickrailway stations have only four trains a day, each has a manned ticketoffice. We took the catamaran Pentalina from Gills Bay to Orkney – itwas a very smooth and quick crossing.
At the end of last November we travelled the 47 miles down the M1to the cinema in Barnsley to see Murder on the OrientExpress in 70mm. Operator Rob Younger and his assistant put on anexcellent presentation with tabs and lights. Rob came on stage beforethe feature to explain what 70mm was and show a sample to the[sadly small] matinée audience. The staff were very friendly and eventhe guy who was waiting to clean the auditorium after the showthanked us for coming. We were invited into the box to see theequipment; here is a picture of the gear, showing the 70mm print onthe platter. {6208}I have had a letter from Trevor Williams asking if we could have afeature on the various projection and sound systems now in use – eg4DX, Real-3D (versus the other 3D systems), iSense, X-Plus, DolbyAtmos, one or two projectors, etc. Could you write it for us? If youcould also source some pictures, it would liven up a page of otherwiseblack text.
First published in 1996 to celebrate the centenary of cinema inthe UK. In this fully revised edition, the text has been completelyrewritten and expanded and there are extra photographs, 10 in
full colour. Of particular interest is the 24-page gazetteer of cinemabuildings, telling the reader what there is to see in most placesin the UK. There are useful appendices about listed cinemas, a
glossary of architectural terms and a comprehensive bibliography.
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Based on CTA member Peter Lea’s researches for his recent publicationThe Auditorium: A Historical Look at Cinemas in and around North War-wickshire, he has organised a day out for members to visit some existingand former cinemas. Venues planned to be visited are located in Nunea-ton, Chapel End, Bedworth, Hinckley, Ibstock and Coalville; the latter isfrom Peter’s forthcoming book The Auditorium2: Cinemas of North WestLeicestershire (due out February 2018). A coach will be arranged to takeus around the various locations. The itinerary is arranged to include lunchand refreshment breaks at member’s own expense.
Our guest speaker is visiting the CTA from the USA where he hasacquired a strong reputation for the quality of his photographic andpublications work of movie palaces. We are pleased to welcome himto the UK for the first time to sample some of his creative work.
The interior of the bingo club, Chapel End, Nuneatonexterior photo on p28 last Bulletin
The Conservation Officer of Wandsworth Council has been advised ofvegetation growing from the exterior of the in Tooting; thishas resulted in an investigation by a freelance surveyor. {9424}
The architectural organisation responsible for the proposed altera-tions to in Leeds has been extremelyforthcoming in forwarding its initial plans to the Association for com-ment. Certain aspects thereof require clarification and response,which will be requested and presented respectively during a site visit,which has been suggested by the practice. {1836}A partnership has been established between a new university appel-lated UA92 and the area Council into whose remit the atStretford falls. A plan has been published that reveals an aspirationto utilise the cinema building as a ‘student hub’ and to integrate alibrary within the venue. The auditorium currently retains its spatialintegrity as a single volume entity; thus concern arises over possibleproposals to destroy its unity by subdivision. Representations relatingto this issue will therefore be advanced. {13796}
The Leeds in June 2005
The façade of the Tooting in March 2004;there is evidence of vegetation back then
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To celebrate our 50th anniversary year, we have arranged limited-edition reprints of these two popular books, giving members whodidn’t purchase them originally the chance to add them to theircollection at reasonable prices. The books sold out soon afterthey were published and do not often come up on the second-hand market at an affordable price. These reprints are onlyavailable from the CTA Sales Officer.
First published in 1993, this is the story of how Associated BritishCinemas became the largest single chain of picture houses in theUK, selling some 6 million tickets a week at its peak. The bookexamines the creation of thecircuit, describes the cinemas,which were purpose-built to thedesigns of WR Glen and others,acquisitions of existing cine-mas, the booking policy, liveshows and organ interludes, theresponse to 3-D and Cine-maScope, the decline in attend-ances leading to subdivisionand the first step into the multi-plex era. There is a detailed list-ing of more than 600 cinemas that were part of the ABC chainand the titles of all the main films given an ABC release from1937 to 1979, plus an array of rare illustrations of cinemas andcompany advertising. PLUS – a newly written introduction by AllenEyles, highlighting developments since the book was written,including the short-lived return of the ABC name.164 pages, paperback, fully illustrated£17.50 plus £3 postage.
First published in 1996 and reprinted in 1999, this book tells thestory of how Gaumont cinemas formed one of the three nationalcircuits in Britain during the boom years of picture-going. Gener-ously illustrated with photo-graphs of the cinemas, as wellas examples of advertising andpublicity, this book recalls thehistory of the circuit as well asthe formation and often turbu-lent life of its parent company,Gaumont-British. Besides thestyle of the cinemas it describeshow they were operated, howthe chain became part of the JArthur Rank Empire and how itsidentity was slowly whittled away until its name in Britain wasconsigned to memory. Included is a detailed listing of more than400 cinemas that were part of the circuit and the titles of all thefilms given a Gaumont release from 1932 onwards.224 pages, paperback, fully illustrated,£17.50 plus £3 postage.
Please add £3.00 to your order for post and packing Please send cheque/postal order payable to Cinema
Theatre Association to the Sales Officer, Jeremy Buck, 34 PelhamRoad, London, N22 6LN, OR send credit/debit card details, in-cluding number, expiry date and security code, OR order onlinethrough the CTA website: [www.cta-uk.org/shop] where you canorder using Paypal.
from the Joyce Braddon collection of Film Weekly, 1938-1939
Saudi Arabia is to lift a 35-year ban on cinemas and allow films to bescreened from March 2018. The Kingdom said there will be 300cinemas by 2030 although it was not clear whether major Hollywood,Bollywood and Arabic releases would be shown and how heavilyedited the content would be. A ban on women driving is also expectedto be lifted this year.Evening Standard, Metro – 11, 12 December;sent in by Tom Laughlan, Gavin McGrath, Barry Quinton & Martin Tapsell
A fresh campaign is to be launched to smarten up the image ofLeicester Square after research revealed “lingering perceptions” thatit is a scruffy and rowdy area. A heart-shaped logo bearing the lettersLSQ will be launched and roads around the Square, such as OrangeStreet and Whitcombe Street will be made more pedestrian-friendly bywidening pavements and improving lighting. The Square attracts250,000 visitors a day. It had a makeover in the run-up to the 2012Olympics, when a total of £17m was spent on a 7-month revamp.Evening Standard – 11 December; sent in by Tom Laughlan
A former factory in London’s Camden, where the world’s first electricmovie camera was made, has been turned into homes. Ernest F Moy’spatented the Kine camera that was used for some of Hollywood’s firstfilms, saw duty in WWI trenches and captured Scott’s ill-fated Antarc-tic expedition in 1912. The flats start at £600,000.Evening Standard – 25 October – sent in by Tom Laughlan
Film studios have cottoned on to a new market for their productions.An increasing number are being stripped of their music and repack-aged for use with live orchestras in concert halls. The has presented Interstellar and Beauty and the Beast (as well ashosting premières). Others to have received the treatment are La LaLand, Jaws, 2001 and The Wizard of Oz. For older films there are oftendifficulties in tracking down the scores; some were just thrown away!Sent in by Jon Williams
Samsung and Sony are developing LED cinema screens. They claimhigh resolution [4k-16k], low power consumption [they’re off whenshowing ‘black’] and a 15-year life, twice that of most digital projec-tors. A screen 40ft-50ft wide would cost around $700,000 but costsare expected to fall. When the total cost of ownership gets close toprojectors, changes will be imminent; this is expected by 2030.Red Shark – 12 October; sent in by Carl Chesworth
Where do the speakers go?
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We can supply back numbers of most Bulletins from Volume 21(1987) to date. Prices for issues from 1987 to 2015 are £4.00 peryear (6 issues); individual issues are £1.00 each. Prices for issues in2016 and 2017 are £4.00 per copy. All prices include postage. Thereare some issues available from earlier years, 1970 to 1986 – pleasesend enquiries to the Sales Officer.
Listed below are the back numbers of Picture House that are stillavailable, along with the main articles the particular issue contains.There are also available a few second-hand copies of out-of-print issues9, 10, 14/15, 16, 20, 22, 23 & 24, priced £5.00 each, plus postage.
‘Cordex’ binders, in red leather-look effect with themagazine name embossed on the spine, areavailable for £4.30 + £3.00 postage; theyare sent in a special postal carton. Eachbinder holds twelve copies and will notharm or mark your magazines, whichmay be taken out later if desired.
No 6 £1.50 Television in the Cinema; Southampton;, Blackpool.
No 8 £1.50 Sol Levy; Reginald Cooper; in NW London.No 17 £3.00 featuring the Cinemas of George Coles
with 26 original photographs reproduced in sepia.No 18 £3.00 Sydney Colwyn Foulkes; United Picture Theatres;
Wimborne.No 19 £3.50 Co-operative Cinemas; Lambeth; Dursley;
Alister Macdonald; Tooting.No 21 £3.50 100 Years On; Travelling Shows; Reggie Rea;
Sheffield; Wells; West End Adverts; Scotland.
No 25 £4.50 Oldest Cinema (Brighton); FE Bromige; Gaumont Manag-ers; Swansea; Committee's Choice.
No 26 £4.50 Newcastle; Edward Stone; Granada Men;E de Wilde Holding; Portobello Road.
No 27 £4.50 New ; Bristol; Clark & Fenn;Compton Organs; Tim Foster Associates.
No 28 £4.50 James McKissack; WJ King; ; Tabs.No 29 £4.50 Cinerama in Britain; Braziers the Builders; John Fernée;
Waller Jeffs; John Duffin’s paintings.No 30 £5.00 The Davis Family, Croydon; Hammersmith Organ;
Norwich Roadshows.No 31 £7.50 Special 84-page edition: – A Family Business:
Sol Sheckman and the Circuit.No 32 £5.00 Harry Myers Photographs; Cinemas at the Coalface;
Shaws of Darwen: Edward A Stone.No 33 £5.00 Theodore Komisarjevsky; Circuit & other releases of 1956;
The case for saving the Bradford.No 34 £5.00 Birmingham; Tooting in 1934;
Rank in post-war Scotland; J Braddon’s Cinema life.No 35 £5.00 Holophane lighting; Imitations of ; Cradley Records;
1909 Cinematograph Act; Kingston Showmanship.No 36 £6.00 Leslie Kemp; The Circuit; Jeremy Perkins on
Brighton; Circuit Releases of 1960.No 37 £8.50 Special 92-page issue; saving the Harwich.No 38 £6.00 Northern Morris Associated; Milton Keynes;
Going to the Cinema in Birmingham; Conwy; Haymarket; Military Cinemas; Cinema Murders.
No 39 £6.00 WWI and the Film Trade; Tale of Two ; NorthFinchley; Oxford; Films at the .
No 40 £6.00 Euston; Michael Stringer memories; West End inthe 1950s; Stafford Entertainments; Will Onda & JamesAtroy; Stephen Waddingham – a man.
No 41 £6.00 CTA’s 50th Anniversary; Stockport; Rayners Lane; Leeds; Pascal J Stienlet.
by Allen Eyles – all fully illustrated with gazetteers£19.99
– £19.99£18.99
Film makers and cinemas of Worthing & Shoreham£12.99 plus postage.
Guiseley, Rawdon & Yeadon – £9.95 plus postage.
£8.99 plus postage.
For books and other items please add £3.00 for post and packing fororders up to £30.00 in value; £6.00 for orders from £30.01 to £40.00and £11.00 for orders above £40.01.Orders to Jeremy Buck, CTA Sales, 34, Pelham Road, London, N226LN. Cheques/POs payable to Cinema Theatre Association, or sendcredit/debit card number with expiry date and security code. A com-plete sales list is available by sending an SAE or can be seen on theCTA website [www.cta-uk.org] where you can also place your order.using PayPal. A sales list is sent with every order.
This is a redesigned and much enlarged third edition of a booknot available for more than 20 years, fully updated by its originalauthor, Allen Eyles. It is a complete record of all the cinemasthat have entertained picture-goers in the West End from 1906to 2013. There are maps, appendices of club cinemas andtheatres as temporary cinemas as well as a name index.
Published in collaboration with English Heritage.
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We travelled many miles with Johnson’s of Henley-in-Arden, 25 Juneto 1 July. Our first proper stop was at Gretna Green, at the ‘wedding’place. Sadly it would have been a rather long walk down into Gretnaitself, so here is a photo of the taken in August 2009. The coachcontinued to Cumbernauld for an overnight stay.
26 June and northwards, pausing briefly at Pitlochry. Time for just aquick visit to the grade B listed station with a short walk to the in West Moulin Road. It is now part of the Atholl Fitness Centre with anew building and entrance on the left hand side. The former cinemastill retains its doors c1950 with Parmeko sound, 500 seats, prices9d to 2/3, pros width 24ft. We were unable to view the .
We were then promised a visit to Inverness, so we left the coach northof the river for a walk over the Ness, viewing the Premier Inn hotel builtin 2010 on the site of the c1950 BTH sound, 1,021 seats, proswidth 28ft, prices 1/- to 3/-! It was open 1939-1963 then bingo to2006, empty to demolition. Up into the shops for Ann and the stationfor me, we walked part of Academy Street; alas the , and are no more. I believe part of the upper frontage andfaçade of the survive – Estate Agents? Current films are
shown at the seven-screen some way out of town. The over by the Cathedral was staging The Railway Children in its
800-seat main auditorium with two screens for films. From the ObanTimes a heart-warming advert for the , Scotland’sMobile Cinema, an 80-seat digital cinema touring many communities,some on the Western Isles. Good luck and best wishes to the team.
Still northbound for our two-night stay in Wick but not before a comfortstop in Helmsdale; a very quick visit to the station (grade B listed) andthe local shop. Since found, in the 1950 KYB, a 16mm static cinema,the run by John Smith of Dornoch (more later). Unfortunatelythe coach driver took us round the back of the town; I did look butnothing was located, except for a superb colonnaded FreemasonsHall – a gem. After settling in and a meal in Wick, Ann and I went on awalkabout. Wick has suffered from out-of-town stores so the centre isnow quiet. I regret to advise that the burnt-out shell of the former
still stands on the High Street after a fire in 1996! Part of thefrontage is painted blue with a banner from 2008 promising a newfuture – leisure, disco etc – but there it remains.
Now Wick had a second cinema, the 1, which we foundoff the Main Street, being situated amongst housing, a school and anRC Church in Breadalbane Terrace, Pultneytown. It too is still there butderelict. In c1950 BA sound, 460 seats, prices 10d to 2/6, stagedepth 12ft, two dressing rooms, pros width 34ft! It is built on the sideof a hill, with a natural slope down to the stage. It closed as theDounreay Social Club in 2007 and is boarded-up at ground level withupper windows intact; holes in the roof can be seen. I did venturedown the left hand side of the building past two very derelict fire exits(which were not entered), the steps lead to a rear fenced yard. A greatshame this venue has been allowed to go into dereliction; itmight/could have been an asset to the town, ie theatre, cinema, civicor community usage.
1 Breadalbane is a region of the southern/central Scottish Highlands,traditionally comprising the watershed of Loch Tay (ie Glen Dochart, GlenLochay and the banks of Loch Tay itself). The Atholl and BreadalbaneGathering is a popular 2/4 March tune for the Great Highland Bagpipes.
The Gretna [2]
The former Pitlochry [1]
The former Inverness in September 2008 [2]
The remains of the Wick [1]
The former Wick in September 2008 [2]
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On the next day (27 June) with a local ‘Pentland’ coach, we toured theCastle of Mey and John-O’Groats with only a few pre-school-holidayspeople about and no midges the day was memorable. We also didsome walking, including Wick station. On 28 June, leaving Wick forScrabster Harbour, we passed through Thurso. On the left lay theformer on St George’s Street c1950 BA sound, 484seats, continuous Mon-Fri, 3 shows Sat, prices 6d to 2/9, pros width29ft. Is the nightclub therein still open? It could do with some TLC assome guttering is blocked. I did buy (in Wick) two local papers, beingvery pleased to find the Thurso advertising in bothpapers; two screens, 152 & 88 seats, ex . Sadly on thisoccasion we did not see either this cinema or the most northerlystation in Great Britain.We crossed the Pentland Firth on a lovely calm day on board the MVHamnavoe, heading for Orkney and Stromness Harbour. The previousSaturday evening arrival at 8:30pm had not docked until 11pm due toheavy seas!
A grand tour of ancient and historic sites was organised for us,including Skara Brae, which we enjoyed. I noted a local service, theSkara Brae Coffee Cart, where a young lady was kept very busy servinghot drinks.
We stayed at the Stromness Hotelby the Harbour – an excellent ven-ue, rooms, food and service werethe best. After our evening mealAnn and I went for a walk in thisvery interesting town. Starting inVictoria Street, we noted along theway some very high shop doorways– must be over 10ft – were theVikings that tall? Turning right intoChurch Road, on the left is theformer Free Church, labelledStromness Town Hall. The TownHall hosts all kinds of events,show, recitals and
. The screen is attached to theorgan case (not known if organ isin working order) and rolls down forpresentations. At the top of ChurchRoad is the Community Centre.Now Victoria Place leads into Gra-ham Place then Dundas Street; we were aware of how narrow thesestreets were – two-way with a 20mph speed limit. Right into Heellie-hole Road where in 1950 the KYB lists the
(pop 1,612, Kalee sound, 282 seats, prices 6d to 2/-, proswidth 20ft, one house two days a week. Unfortunately our walk did notgo here – but more on this later (photos in Orkney archive at Kirkwall).Next day (29 June) we elected to do our own itinerary for the island ofHoy. Local bus 5 from Stromness to Houton Ferry for the MV Hoyheadferry to Lyness on Hoy (£4.30 each return) with a two minute walk tothe Scapa Flow Vistor Centre and Museum. This was the former navalbase of WWI and WWII; as well as the site I wanted to see the mostnortherly preserved narrow-gauge locos preserved in Great Britain,with hopefully a former cinema on the island. Well, after a thoroughsearch we found track, wagons and steam crane but no locos. Weentered their shop, explaining my interest and a letter sent prior. Thelady behind the counter told us, “About three weeks ago the locos weremoved to storage in Kirkwall before going down to South Wales for anew railway at a Fire Museum.” Well, I nearly sank through the floor!Somewhat shaken, I asked her for directions on foot to the
, which she gave. We paid her compliments and started walk-ing. We had not gone ¼ mile when a car appeared. It was the ladyfrom the shop. Feeling very sorry for us,she offered not only to take us the 1½miles to the theatre but she was also thekeyholder and a full visit was on. MsJude Callister is also the theatre secre-tary. Conversion of a small school into afine 75-seat raked venue for cinema(roll-down screen, digital projector onceiling), theatre, plays, choirs, recitalsetc. It has quite a deep stage (no flytow-er) lighting rigs, two dressing rooms.There is a welcoming bar/lounge onarrival. Doors and tip-up seating arefrom the lamented cinema inKirkwall, sadly demolished in 1998/9.
The former Thurso [2]
The Skara Brae Coffee Cart [1]
The Neolithic settlement at Skara Brae [2]
Stromness [1]
The interior and a door in the on Hoy [1]
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We gave our thanks and a donation to the theatre. The lady then gaveus a lift to the Naval Cemetery where I had a few moments – verymoving. Afterwards we walked back to the centre and onto the ferry.It was a flat crossing back to Houton then a bus to Stromness. I laterlearnt that the former , which we saw clad in corrugatediron and steel girders on the left as we left Lyness, had a stage withtabs but a flat floor and stacking chairs for multi-use.
The present cinema is located within the PicaquoyLeisure Center in Kirkwall. We had a goodwalk around the town, finding somesites of interest. The former garage ofD Pearce in Burnmouth Road hasthe roof from Flotta’s cinema,which was removed leaving theprojection room end and two sidewalls. On Junction Road next doorto the Post Office are some flats,which I was told have a cinematicconnection, although very muchrebuilt. Between the front door andwindows is a plaque to James PetrieChalmers Jnr 1866-1912, who was afigure in the early American film industry.Walking down Albert Street, we came upon a Launderama shop. Alady in a bookshop advised me this was the site of the former cinema; 300 seats, 8 June 1931 to 8 May 1947, when it was de-stroyed by fire. We couldn’t find the former /
. Ann and I ventured into the library and upstairs to the archive.Wow – they have got a lot of cinema material; lots on the (1955-1998), some Stromness and Naval Cinema photographs plustwo school projects done by pupils about Orkney Cinemas. I wasallowed to view both – they are excellent but copyright does not permitcopying in any form. We got the bus back to Stromness for our finalnight on Orkney. Crossing the again calm Pentland Firth en-route toScrabster, a past friend from Leamington Spa was also on board –small world!
Heading south, now on 30 June, we went through Brora, which I havesince found on Cinema Treasures had a with 350 seats inGower Street. But we did stop at Dornoch, which until 1960 had a lightrailway with an ex-BRWR 16xx 0-6-0 PT’s working; the station build-ings and platform are intact. As at Helmsdale earlier, here too we hada 16mm cinema in the Cathedral Hall. Time did not allow any furtherwanderings – has any member got details please?
So further south we got to Kingussie and our last hotel and overnightstay. We soon found the former / in SpeyStreet, very close to the railway station, ex CAC, 309 seats, 9d to 2/-,pros 20ft. Both the Scottish Episcopal Church next door and theformer cinema were gutted by fire in 1999, leaving the original en-trance and walls of the cinema. They have now been joined with thewalls of the church and re-roofed with a modern structure. It reopenedin 2003 as the Badenoch Library and Sports Centre, being very popular.
On Saturday 1 July we departed for home, with a short stop at Moffat,where I photographed the . We departed Kingussie at9:30am and after three comfort stops arrived home for 8:30pm. Ithad been well worth the long journey.
Photos by [1] the author, [2] Harry Rigby
The interior of the Kirkwall [2]
The / Kingussie [1]
The Moffat [1]
The exterior of the on Hoy [1]
An early postcard [date unknown] of the Wick
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1912. It was taken over by in April 1929 and closed in December1981. After brief periods as a music venue and an indoor market it wasconverted into a nightclub, opening in October 1992. {6550}Sent in by Raymond Dolling; photo taken June 2009
(Kent)The has added four more screens to theexisting 13. All have recliner seats, one having a wall-to-wall formatXPlus screen measuring 64 foot wide by 27 foot high. The extracapacity was timed to open concurrently with the release of Star Warson 14 December. PS: The at Westwood Cross (Thanet) is showingStar Wars 33 times a day, beginning at 06.30!Kent Messenger, advertising; sent in by Martin Tapsell
Twenty more jobs will be created at the new ten-screen BH2,thanks to its continuing success. Since it opened last February, morethan 600,000 people have been through the doors. {55149}Daily Echo, Bournemouth – 25, 26 October; sent in by John Forster
Plans to demolish the bulk of the former (but leaving the façade)and build a block of 62 flats have been rejected by the Council.Daily Echo, Bournemouth – 31 October; sent in by Carl Chesworth & Philip Stevens
(Somerset)The new town centre leisure complex, which includes a four to six-screen cinema, should be complete by 2020. Scott Cinemas, whichhas a two-screen operation in the former is involved in thediscussions.Bridgwater Mercury – 21 November
The grade II* listed has been sold to a developer, AizedSheikh, who also owns the Teville Gate development in Worthing. Hehas written publicly of his intention to turn the into aluxury hotel and apartment block “with a concert, theatre and ban-queting venue”. It opened in August 1901 with 1,981 seats, a FrankMatcham conversion of a former skating rink. It closed as a theatre inearly 1964 and was used for bingo until the early 2000s. The previousowners were the Academy Music Group. {36884}The Stage – 9 November; The Argus, Brighton – 10, 11, 16 November;sent in by Barry Quinton & R David Simpson; photo taken March 2009
A group of deaf people said they had no choice but to leave anadvertised subtitled screening of the new Star Wars film after subti-tles were turned off at the . According to , a technicalfault meant the film could not continue with captions and offeredrefunds. The film was restarted with subtitles but some members ofthe audience complained about them.BBC News website – 19 December; sent in by Geoff Gill
(Kent)The cinema has begun a monthly series of Sunday silents,accompanied by silent film pianist Lillian Henley. The opening film on17 December was The General starring Buster Keaton.Sent in by Martin Tapsell
Screen � at the ten-screen Union Square has become a 4DXscreen at a cost of £450,000. It is only the second in Scotland. {44719}Evening Express, Aberdeen – 3 November
(Northumberland)The future of the has been secured as it prepares for a£2.5m refurbishment. Work will start in summer 2018 and is due forcompletion in May 2019. A section of the ground floor will be convert-ed into a community hub, including a library, tourist information andcustomer service facilities. The contracts include an agreement thatthe local authority will grant a new 50-year lease to the PlayhouseTrust, allowing it to continue. {47495}The Chronicle, Newcastle – 15 December; photo on front cover
(Kent)The new six-screen being built at Eldwick Place is set toopen at Christmas 2018.Kent Messenger – 30 November
(Gwynedd)An unknown operator has signed up for a new ten-screen cinema tobe built at Parc Bryn Cegin.Daily Post, Wales – 2 December
(Essex)Planning permission has been granted for a ten-screen cinema at EastSquare. No operator has been named.Basildon Echo – 11 December
(Harborne)There was a small fire at the grade II listed on 15 November.The venue opened in October 1930 and films ceased in November1963. It was latterly used for bingo, which closed around 2012; thebuilding has been empty since. See Casework p6. {33866}Birmingham Mail – 15 November; sent in by Ken Roe
(Herts)The Council has unveiled plans for a new cultural centre in Old RiverLane. If approved, it would include a 500-seat theatre, a three orfour-screen cinema and a café/bar.Hertfordshire Mercury – 23 November; sent in by Terry Hanstock
(Lancs)
A self-storage facility is planned for part of the building that used to bethe cinema. Peter Bowden, a director of owners WorldwideClubs Ltd claimed the business has been affected by a decline in Black-pool’s night-time economy. The originally opened in December
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(Argyll & Bute)The £3.5m renovation of the A-listed has been complet-ed. The doors were opened to allow the public to view the venuebefore the official opening. The restoration has been based on de-tailed archival research. Amongst the elements of the 1935 designthat have been reinstated are the repainted ceiling, the colourscheme for the ‘wee houses’ either side of the proscenium and thereturn of the popular ‘love seats’. The main screen now seats 193 installs and circle and there is a 52-seat second screen to the rear ofthe main building. The Society of Antiquaries (Scotland) has listed the
as one of Scotland’s Six Hidden Gems:[www.campbeltownpicturehouse.co.uk] {16090}The Scotsman – 15, 24 November; Metro, Campbeltown Courier – 24 November;sent in by Carl Chesworth; also sent in by Stewart Kidd
(Wilts)
At about 1:30pm on Boxing Day a fire broke out in the battery roomand wiring at the – fire crews attended and had the fire undercontrol quickly. I visited the cinema on Wednesday 27 December; alarge sign on the door said that due “to a major electrical problem” thecinema was closed until further notice. I was told that the cinemawould not open for the “rest of the year” and that the extent of thedamage was unknown.The is long overdue for a full refurbishment. The old Angel Bingoclub in the stalls area has been empty for years. I was told that refur-bishment had been planned for January (2018?). This had been pro-posed in 2015 but with the fire the plans could now be moved forward.I was a projectionist there for several years and the battery roomformed part of the box area (enclosed behind a 1930s fire door) so Ihave no idea if the projectors/sound equipment have suffered as aresult of the fire. There were engineers on site accessing the extent ofthe damage so a fuller report will be forthcoming. Sadly for the foresee-able future Chippenham is without a cinema since 1914! {24537}Sent in by David Reeves; photo taken March 2006
(Dorset)Major repair works to the will cost around £500,000and take four months to complete. The defects in the south wall arelikely to be remedied in summer 2019. Scaffolding was due to be putup before Christmas with work to install restraints carried out inJanuary. The Council owners are being urged by management toschedule the works carefully or “risk crippling the theatre”. {24540}Daily Echo, Bournemouth – 1 December; sent in by Philip Stevens
(Glos)Planning permission for a new cinema was due to expire inNovember but demolition at the site started just in time to retain theconsent. Completion is expected “within 15 months”.Wilts & Glos Standard – 2, 30 November
(Leics)Flutters Bingo in the former closed suddenly on 1 November.The cinema opened in November 1933 with 1,200 seats in stalls andcircle. It had a fully-equipped stage and Holophane lighting. Filmsceased in May 1960 and it has been a bingo club since April 1963.The CTA visited in April 2007.BBC news website, Nottingham; sent in by Terry Hanstock & Ken Roe
(Essex)Another legal battle has been launched against the proposed develop-ment at Stanway, which includes a multiplex cinema. The news comesonly a week after a High Court judge threw out a previous challenge.East Anglian Daily Times – 23 November
The has reopened after a £13.7m restoration. The venuehad been dark for 18 months. The CTA visited this during the workslast April as the – see p16 Bulletin 51/4. {26574}The Stage – 30 November; sent in by R David Simpson
(Kent)A six-screen cinema is being proposed as part of a development of theWestgate area in the town centre. Permission is expected to beapplied for in summer 2018 and, if granted, construction could startin spring 2019. No operator has been named.News Shopper, Greenwich & Charlton – 16 October;Sheerness Times Guardian – 18 October
(Kent)The new six-screen 909-seat at the St Lames Leisure Parkis scheduled to open on 2 February. Special rates of £2.50 will applyto children at weekends and school holidays.Dover Mercury – 29 November; Kent-on-Line – 14 December; sent in by Martin Tapsell
(Co Down, Northern Ireland)
The six-screen cinema has been taken over by . Itopened in June 2009 [43860}Down Recorder – 8 November; photo taken September 2014
Vandals have attacked the former , forcing campaignershoping to restore the theatre to hire security guards. They say thevandals could put the project being schedule as unnecessary resourc-es are being spent on the problem. The Council leader had previouslysaid that he believed “not much progress” had been made by cam-paigners, who are requesting a 20-year extension to their existingfive-year lease. {41631}Express & Star – 25 October, 4, 10 December; Stourbridge Chronicle – 7 December;sent in by Carl Chesworth, Ivan Harris & Chris Ingram
(East Sussex)The Council owners have granted the lease of the
to Alex and Debbie Adams. The couple have been producingsummer shows at the grade II listed for the past fiveyears and run a theatre school for children. The CTA held their AGMthere in 2010. {46239}The Argus, Brighton – 23 October; sent in by Barry Quinton
(Leith)The grade B listed former could reopen as the . Afundraising campaign hopes to realise between £8m and £10m. Itopened in December 1936 with 1,700 seats and films ceased in May1972. It became a bingo hall and latterly a nightclub. Plans for aresidential development on the site retain and refurbish the cinema.A planning application has been submitted. {23261}The Herald, Glasgow – 3 November; The Scotsman – 30 November;Scottish Daily Express – 8 December; photo taken November 2006
The twelve-screen at Ocean Terminal has been upgraded withfully reclining seats in all auditoria. Prices have not been increased.{27068}Edinburgh Evening News – 2 November
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Re Hugh Sykes’ wanderings in Framlingham (p16 last Bulletin). The Cinema was situated at 15 New Road, Framlingham and was
still showing films as late as 1962 – see programme above. However,in February 1963 planning permission was granted for change of usefrom a cinema to light industrial use. In December 1963 planningpermission was also granted for alterations to form workshops and astoreroom. By 1975 it was a commercial vehicle workshop possiblyoperated by AG Potter. In 1992 planning permission was granted forchange of use to a hard-play area for the adjacent primary school.According to Cinema Treasures the building was demolished c2011and is now occupied by housing. It can be seen top centre in thisaerial photo. {56683}Terry Hanstock
I was really interested to read David A Ellis’ letter in the last Bulletinabout sound levels – it would be a lot of fun going to the cinema withhim, as I like my sound LOUD and I positively welcome being blasted outof my seat! So, depending on the sound level at the time, he would becovering his ears while I would be straining to hear!! To me, it’s all partof the ‘immersive’ cinema experience but there is a rather more seriousside, as I was once told by a cinema manager that the two mostfrequent complaints he received were that the soundtrack is too loud –or it’s too quiet! Mostly, of course, this is a matter of personal taste but,leaving that aside, David’s letter made me wonder whether there is an‘official’ level? I vaguely recall being told some time ago that auditoriaare checked by some scientific method and the sound level is setspecifically for each one. Is this correct? Will a multi-screen cinemahave different settings, calculated for each auditorium, or does ‘onesize fit all’? Or are the settings left up to the judgement of theprojectionists/managers? (Surely one thing is for certain: I can’t imag-ine nowadays that the volume is adjusted according to the number ofpatrons!) I would welcome comments from projectionists / audio tech-nicians, especially as this can be such a controversial issue – asdemonstrated by the reactions of David and me to current sound levels!David Simpson
Regards the article by Hugh Sykes on page 16 of the last CTA Bulletinon his visit to Rundle at New Bolingbroke, the Kalee 12 projector inquestion was a 1931 model, which I got through the Projected PictureTrust. I understand it came from cinema at Bexleyheath in Kent. Forabout five years I visited some of our local steam fairs here in Lincoln-shire with the projector and other cinema memorabilia on display. Theprojector was in full working order apart from the sound system andwas always the star attraction of the exhibition. After finishing with thedisplay, I donated it to Alan Rundle for safe keeping, as I didn’t wantit to go to the scrapyard.Maurice Brader (photo)
I was born in April 1967, threemonths after the CTA was found-ed. This means I was too young toexperience the ‘roadshow presen-tations’ of certain big films thatseemed popular during the postwar period and which CTA mem-bers have often fondly reflected upon in issues of this Bulletin. Thewhole idea of showing a movie with a certain pomp – including aninitial limited release, overture music, an intermission and a souvenirprogramme - has always appealed to me, particularly nowadays wheneven a hint of presentation is absent from films shown by the majorcinema chains, no matter how hyped the release is. Imagine mydelight, then, when on a Sunday in December 2017 the
in Worthing, West Sussex, hosted a roadshow presentation ofthe 1963 comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The is a traditional single-screen venue that still uses festoons at eachperformance and this screening was proceeded with a short talk byDave Norris, known for Mark Kermode’s The Last Projectionist Stand-ing, as well as the overture. The intermission was even true to directorStanley Kramer’s original roadshow vision. Not wanting the audienceto lose the momentum of this fast-moving comedy, Kramer insistedon playing police radio reports updating patrons on how the charac-ters were faring during the interval. These audio interludes were asentertaining as the film itself that featured lead roles by SpencerTracy, Ethel Merman and Sid Caesar as well as blink-and-you-miss-them cameos from comedy legends Buster Keaton, Edward EverettHorton and the Three Stooges. More than fifty patrons bought ticketsfor this one-off screening and that number included teenagers as wellas older folk who could remember the original release. It was athoroughly enjoyable experience and one that my wife and I werepleased we attended. CTA members should check out the website as the staff hinted that there was a possibility of anotherroadshow presentation if there was enough public interest.Mike Whitcombe
Taking once more a ramble to find old cinemas, I started in WestLondon with a look at Shepherds Bush Green, which at one time musthave provided a variety alternative to Leicester Square with its manyplaces of entertainment. With the excellent aid of Rachel Marks, whospends a lot of time helping out at the CTA archives and findingphotographs for me, I stepped out West. The Green did at one timehave a quite a number of cinemas open. The music hall, the ,is still there (where 50 years ago I was a stage electrician!). Then nextdoor is a original cinema, going through many owners over theyears (including as an Australian theme pub not so long ago) andsince semi-derelict due to planning arguments. Then there was thehuge , a Gaumont Super Palace, this has been turned into ahotel and private apartments.
But there had been other cinemas on the Green. Almost next door atnumber 57A was the . The BKS year book quotes it wasopen in 1918. The block was redeveloped many years ago. Across theGreen at 92 Uxbridge Road was the , open in 1918 in abuilding constructed in 1910 and is now a ‘Superdrug’ store, where Igot some strange looks from the manager when lurking around thedoor to establish the street number that wasn’t there – how thepostman manages, I don’t know. There had been a cinema inGoldhawk Road but no information where it had been. Of course muchrebuilding had gone on in this area. Before leaving the ‘Bush’ I shouldmention that for over twenty years in a shopping precinct a multiplexhas operated; it’s nowadays a with eleven screens, seeminglyoperated by a man in the sweet counter.Moving on to Chiswick High Road,where can be found a little row offour shops that were the
on the corner of DukeRoad. It had opened in 1911changed to the andclosed in 1933 as the . Thenit was turned into four shops,which still exist today.
Moving on, at 160 Chiswick High road can be found the ‘Old Cinema’a new name for an antique store. This was the and had a mostoriginal first floor contraption, which to my mind didn’t look like anyearly movie-house. It had been a second-hand furniture store, now it’sa posh antique establishment. Some of the original cinema featureshave been retained, such a splendid skylight but the old auditoriumseems to have gone and just displays occupy the space.I could have spent many more days searching out old cinemas butfinish with an at Isleworth. Just the frontage has been retainedand it has the 1930s look about it. Many thanks to Rachel for findingthe pictures at the CTA Archive.
Shepherds Bush in 1927 with [L-R] the, and
The Shepherds Bush [L] and [R] in November 2017
The Chiswick as a furniture store [L] and antique shop [R]
The of 1911 on Chiswick High Road
The Chiswick today The former Isleworth
